Duchess Kate is all about kids these days. Or should I say that Kate’s PR guy has told her that she needs to be all about kids these days? Something like that. I actually believe that Kate does care (to a degree) and that she’s probably in her comfort zone when she can spend time with families and children and she doesn’t have to pretend to be super-knowledgeable about any one subject. So, Kate has made a public statement today to The Times. She’s encouraging a renewed focus on childhood mental health:

The Duchess of Cambridge is urging parents, teachers and health professionals to give child mental health the attention and focus it deserves.

“I have been heartened to see that so much progress has been made in ending the taboo of adults openly treating mental well-being as the health issue it is,” she said in a message to The Times. “I believe that our generation of parents, carers, teachers, and health workers now have the chance to give the mental health of our children the focus it requires.”

“I feel strongly that young people and parents need to know that they can ask for help. Just as with physical health, we need to act early to provide support when a child is faced with emotional difficulties,” she said.

She suggested in her message that she would be devoting more time and effort to the cause of child mental health when she returns to her public duties later in the year. “This is a discussion that William and I hope to play a part in during the months and years to come. We welcome all work to highlight this important issue for the benefit of all our young people,” she said.

The duchess has told colleagues that she has been struck that the need for early intervention comes up repeatedly when she visits projects and charities, including those for the homeless and drug addicts. However, she believes that her energies will have most impact in the area of early intervention in child mental health. She is patron of the charity Place2Be, one of the first roles she took up after her marriage. The charity provides counselling and psychological help for children in 235 schools to help them cope with issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.

[From The Times]

I think this is a great discussion to have, and it’s a great cause for Kate in particular. It’s about kids, it’s about families, it’s a “big issue” but it’s not really controversial and she has a personal history that dovetails with this cause. She’s said in the past that she was bullied by classmates when she was a girl. And childhood bullying is getting a lot of press these days, but I like that Kate is making it about the larger issue of childhood mental health.

Meanwhile, if you want to check out the latest odds-on favorites for Kate’s baby name choices, go here. Apparently, there are a lot of people in Britain who think Kate is totally expecting a girl, and that she’ll name the baby girl Elizabeth, Charlotte, Alexandra or James (OMG, Blake Lively’s baby name!). If it’s a boy, the favorite is now… Albert. God, I hope not.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.